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Clan crime only accounts for a small proportion of crimes. But the structures are becoming more entrenched, says one researcher. One aspect in particular is neglected in investigations.
Berlin – Also in criminal CVs There are career ladders. For some of the people who came to Germany from Lebanon in the 1980s, the first rung meant a lack of prospects. Many of the refugees were not allowed to work and lived for years in insecure and precarious conditions – they could hardly expect any help from the authorities in the Ruhr region, Bremen or Berlin. At the time, they were extremely restrictive.
Clan crime: robbery, drug trafficking, extortion – the gangsters are well connected
The migration policy of the past is highly controversial. For years, the authorities left the people, who often only had tolerated status, to fend for themselves, say critics. Little by little, some started to steal. Petty scams, shoplifting, receiving stolen goods. Some small groups of opportunistic thieves have now become criminal organizations. To stay in business terms: they have diversified their business areas. Robbery, fraud, extortion, money laundering, violent intimidation of witnesses, importing and exporting drugs – the well-connected gangsters have their hands in everything. And with each new generation, the so-called criminal clans become more dangerous, says Mahmoud Jaraba in an interview with this editorial team.
The political scientist conducts research on Arab, Turkish and Kurdish extended families at the Erlangen Institute for Islam and Law in Europe (EZIRE) and is considered a renowned expert on social structures. “Every generation brings with it a new level of criminal energy, is shaped by its own experiences and has access to the latest technology,” he explains. The new clan generation uses encryption technology for criminal business and social media to recruit and mobilize new members.
Share of total number of crimes small – but criminal structures of the clans are hardening
Jaraba has had dozens of conversations with members of the extended families from which the criminals come. It is fundamentally important to use the term “clan” in a differentiated way and to understand the structures behind it, because: “It is never entire families that are criminals, but always only a few people within sub-clans, so-called Bayts,” says Jaraba. The Bayts often consist of only a dozen to a maximum of 100 people.
In fact, so-called clan crime only accounts for a relatively small proportion of the total number of crimes in Germany. But the criminal structures are becoming increasingly entrenched and could become an ever greater problem, believes expert Jaraba: “We have to speak of highly organized crime.” Security authorities have also been warning about this for years. It is therefore all the more important that the state invests in the training of highly qualified investigators as soon as possible, emphasized the NRW head of the Association of German Criminal Investigators (BDK), Oliver Huth, in an interview with IPPEN.MEDIALittle has been done so far, according to police sources.
Drug war in the Netherlands – clans no longer only active in Berlin, Bremen and the Ruhr area
Expert Jaraba warns: In order to be able to take effective action against clan crime, we must abandon the idea of a parallel society. In fact, the criminals are very well networked in the majority of society. There are not only connections to other criminal groups, but also to business people, lawyers and influential people in the cultural sector. And: Up to now, Berlin, Bremen, the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia and parts of Frankfurt were considered hotspots for clan activities. “This must be revised; the criminals have long been active in other federal states and have connections abroad.” For example, to Belgium or to gangs in the Netherlands, which have long since started a veritable drug war. This is something that we want to prevent at all costs in this country.
Clan crime
► When people talk about criminal clans in Germany, they often mean criminal members of extended families with Kurdish-Lebanese roots. Most people from these families are not criminals. However, a few subclans have joined together to form groups that commit crimes in the area of organized crime.
► The structures within the families are complex. In Arabic, there are terms for the lines of descent: “Hamula” means the superior family branch, “Fakhdh” the sub-family branch and “Bayt” the sub-sub-family branch. “The members of the extended families often do not know each other, but maintain close contact primarily within their Bayt,” says clan researcher Mahmoud Jaraba. If criminal networks are formed, then only within such sub-sub-clans.
► Many belong to the so-called Mhallami, an ethnic group of Arab origin. Their ancestors were expelled from Turkey after the First World War and then came to Lebanon. When civil war broke out there (1975 to 1990), many of the families fled to Germany.
► As stateless people, many were given tolerated status and were unable to pursue regular work. Experts believe that the lack of prospects is a reason why individuals have joined criminal groups.
One important means that, according to Mahmoud Jaraba, has been neglected so far is prevention. “The authorities must be much more active in approaching families and keeping an eye on women as well.” Because within the criminal sub-clans they pass on rules to the children. For example, the Omertá, which is known from the Mafia: a code of silence towards the state and the police. This is consistent with a Study by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), according to which investigators use women in the field of organized crime hardly take into focus.
Many in the extended families want tougher action from the state
Many in the extended families would like the state to take tougher action against the machinations of their distant relatives. But most do not want to speak to the police because there is little trust in the institutions. “People see that they are often tarred with the same brush and equated with gangsters just because they have a similar surname. That frustrates them,” says Jaraba. And there is something else that stops them: “Many are afraid. That the criminals will take revenge.”
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